Vancouver Walking Tour May 29, 2023
We returned from our cruise and stayed a few more days in Vancouver. Checking out the city and spending time with friends. If you are interested in following the walking tour I did below, wear comfortable shoes.
My friend, Margo met me at the 900 block of West Hasting Street and our first stop was the Christ Church Cathedral.
It is one of Vancouver's heritage sites. It was the first church in the city and took a rather long time to build: the foundation and basement were done in 1889, but it took till 1894 to lay the cornerstone of the main building. The temple is gothic and there are several beautiful stained glass windows.
I read that in 1976, the church was designated to be "bulldozed" to make room for a new building. Active campaigning by locals saved the church which is now on Vancouver's list of heritage sites. Considering the beautiful inside I'm glad it survived.
We continued to Robson Street, which is the main thoroughfare that goes from downtown through West End. Starting at BC Place Stadium, by the north shore of False Creek, go to the Vancouver Library, Robson Square, and the Vancouver Art Gallery, ending at Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park.
The street is named after John Robson. During much of the 20th century, the street's nickname was "Robsonstrasse" because many German immigrants lived and shopped there. There is still the Robsonstrasse Hotel which I set out to find but didn't found.
The public plaza and civic center in Downtown Vancouver is Robson Square. It covers about 1.3 million square feet and was designed by Arthur Erickson in 1983. The glass-covered Law Courts with their 35 courtrooms are the main component of the square. Erickson style of architecture is mainly buildings out of concrete which is softened by natural environment features. A lot of open spaces, steps to sit on, trees, and other vegetation but not too much so there is no obstruction to the natural light, the fresh air, and the sound of the cascading waterfalls.
If you come to Vancouver in the winter, the outdoor skating ring is the only public outdoor skating ring in the city and it is free. It connects the northern block of Robson Street with the Vancouver Art Gallery. In the summer months, the ring is used for public events and is the main hub for Vancouver's street dance scene. We may have to come back after dinner.
The Vancouver Art Gallery is next to Robson Square. The Vancouver Art Gallery has about 200 major pieces out of the Group of Seven, pieces by Emily Carr and illustrations by Marc Chagall. I was told the open-air display is beautiful, conventional, bizarre, and a little scary.
As with everything these days, if you are planning a visit it is better to get your ticket online. I was told the on-site cafe has great food, plus there is a balcony and a courtyard where you can enjoy your lunch.
I could see The Canada Place from my room, it is on the Burrard Inlet waterfront and the home of Vancouver's Convention & Exhibition Centre, the Pan Pacific Hotel, Vancouver's World Trade Centre, and formerly the world's first permanent IMAX 3D theater (now closed since 2009). It is also the main cruise ship terminal. I watch a number of ships coming in and leaving. This is also where we took off from but we had returned by plane. If you want to see cruise ships this is the place. It is a beautiful spot walking along the seafront, you will meet many locals.
Canada Place was created for the World Expo in 86 and I think part of the 2020 Vancouver Olympics. This is also the place where you find the FlyOver Canada theater.
I didn't stand in line for a ticket. You guessed it, Michael and I have done the same thing multiple times in Disney. Well if wasn't Canada but we were dangling our feet in the air.
At the Convention Centre, you can see exhibits from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics or take Christmas card-quality photos outside the Olympic Cauldron with Stanley Park and the mountains in the background.
The Vancouver Lookout is a must see for everyone who doesn't have another trip to Vancouver already on the schedule. My friend and I had been on the top level of the Burj Khalifa earlier in the year so we figured 167 meters isn't much to write home about.
If you feel like going. The tickets are valid all day. So you can come in the morning and come back in the evening for a beautiful sunset. There is a viewing platform and a revolving restaurant plus of course shop for all your tourist needs.
Gastown is the historic district of Vancouver. Lucky me, my friend knows this part of town like the back of her hand. The Gastown Steam Clock is probably the most famous out of all the attractions and something I really wanted to see. What is important about this one, since there are many of them around the world, is that this one is still steam-powered and functional. Here is more information on how the clock works. We arrived at the Steam Clock right at 3pm, we could not have planned it better. You can see the steam in the photo.
The Old Spaghetti Factory is a place that brings back memories. It is an Italian-style chain restaurant which had locations across the United States and Canada. I didn't know that the very first Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant opened its doors in Gastown, Vancouver in 1970. The chain restaurant is not really a tourist spot but this one has beautiful decor, with antiques and artifacts from times gone by, such as chandeliers, a trolley car from 1904, and apparently, one of the stained glass originally was on the Queen's Carriage. Plus, there are supposed to be a few ghosts.
Gastown's Gaoler's Mews is the location of Vancouver's first jail. This location also had in 1886 the great fire of Vancouver, it also had about 40 public executions by hanging and a pub. Now it has ghosts. I may take the ghost tour the next time I"m here. I was a little disappointed after arriving at Gastown's Gaoler's Mews because not it is just a set of shops and if you didn't know you would miss it, including the ghost.
Maple Tree Square and Deighton's Statue are at the intersection of Powell, Water, Alexander, and Carrall Street. It is the most photographed and historic spot in the city. The square dates back to the time of Granville, which is now Vancouver. As with everything in the cold north it became popular because in 1867 John Deighton opened a bar after his friend Captain Edward Stamps asked him. He was also the owner of the Hasting Mill. It is said that Deighton also known as "Gassy Jack" had paddled over from New Westminster and after Captin Edward Stamps asked him to open a bar, he in return promised all the mill workers all the whiskey they could drink as long as they build him a saloon. Legend has it, the saloon was built within 24 hours and was named Globe Saloon. The bar was later demolished but the name stuck and a statue of Gassy Jack was erected to honor him and later toppled. So no statues at the square but lots of sidewalk cafes and restaurants.
Next on the list is 43 Powell Street. The Hotel Europe was designed in the flatiron style and completed in 1909. It is also known as Angelo Calori Building. Angelo Calori was the hotelier who built it close to the docks and had a bus bring steamship passengers to his hotel. The building still has the original Italian tile floors and leaded-glass windows. The Changeling and Legends of the Fall was filled in the building and of course, it has a ghost. On my next trip, I have to go back to this building since I got confused about the address.
In return we stopped at an Irish Tavern and learned some Irish
On the way to Millenium Gate, I was glad I was with my friend. I was also glad to discover this side of Vancouver but walking alone down these streets may have stretched my comfort zone.
Turning toward West Pender and Taylor Street you find an awe-inspiring feat of architecture, The Millenium Gate, marking the entrance of Chinatown. It was built in 2002 to celebrate the new millennium. It was built to honor the role Chinese Immigrants played in the colorful history of this city.
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden was built in time for the World Expo of 86. It was the first Chinese garden built outside of China. It was funded by the Chinese Community and the Chinese and Canadian.
The garden is honoring Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, the first president of the Republic of China, and the father the of modern Chinese nation. For the price of tickets check here. We arrived outside of regular opening hours but my skilled friend provided partial access for us, so we were able to enjoy the beautiful garden.
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